Latin America -- Live-Blog II Posted by Michael Signer

Louise Frechette, the Deputy Secretary-General, is pitching the UN Development Fund -- invests in new democracies.  "The UN is committed to helping Latin America strengthen its political institutions."  She started in Spanish and, without a hitch, switched over to English -- unclear why.

Listening to her, I find an interesting tension between listening to someone from the UN talk about democratization as the product of collective reasoning and permission from the democratizee, and thinking about how the U.S. does it, at the barrel of a gun.   

Maybe I've just been socialized by the last five years of this Administration.  This isn't necessarily meant to be an invidious comparison.  But there's something a little touchy-feely (or, to put a finer point on it, optimistic verging on naive) about how Ms. Frechette is framing the UN's capabilities, and what democratization really means. 

Maybe it's just the latent American cowboy in me, but I think I've come to like hearing about democracy as a crusade.

Now Tom Daschle is speaking -- he looks good!  Tanned, rested, and ready.  Cleverly, he says good morning in all the languages of the many sponsors -- Spanish and German -- and has the timing and tenor of an experienced politician, which, of course, he is.

He notes that today is the anniversary of the 14th Amendment.  He's noting that while we've accomplished a lot, our system is still imperfect.  Recalls the famous story about Franklin being encountered right after the Constitutional Convention:  "Ma'am, it will be a republic -- if you can keep it."

"Just as we fought for our democracy, the people of Latin America need to continue to fight to save, and certainly to improve theirs.  There will be a long, never-ending fight, with our help, to keep what they have already gained."

Talks about Chile's new President, Michelle Bachelet, and Evo Morales as indicators of better and wider democracy.  1998 -- referendum that rejected Pinochet government.  1989 -- ejection of Sandinistas in Costa Rica.  1990 -- rejection of PRI government in Mexico.

But then there are problems -- we can't take these advances for granted.  Haiti, Colombia -- violence is on the rise.  Further, "Economic growth has not eased poverty."  Per capita GDP is $4,000.  250 million people live in poverty.  100 million live on less than $1 per day. 

The rub, Daschle says:  the U.S. has "avoided the hard work" of meeting the region's needs.  Here's what we need to do:

1)  Engagement and partnership -- "not the big-stick diplomacy of a prior era."

2)  Avoid temptation to pick winners -- provided they accept the rules.  Cites Haita as an example, and the 2003 coup attempt in Venezuela, which has damaged U.S. credibility.

3)  Redoubling our effort to confront violence.

4)  Create economic opportunity for more -- increase U.S. investment and development.

5)  Comprehensive reform of immigration laws.

I like this approach -- an am struck by the commonality on point #2 with how President Bush responded to Hamas' victory in Palestine, by saying, well, at least they're behaving within the context of democracy.  I was surprised by this, as it indicated a newfound approach from the Administration of not just the surface, but the depth of what democracy will really look like in some of these nations with less-civil societies.

Daschle's slamming the Administration for ignoring Latin America -- and how!  There wasn't even a mention of the entire region in the SOTU, which conformed so perfectly with the international cartoon of the President it seemed almost intentional.

Comments

[David]

As a former Latin American Studies major at Tulane University, I can tell you (in my own humble opinion) that Daschle's ideas are exactly what Latin America needs from the United States. Investment, support for democracy, and an actual immigration policy.

It really isn't that hard to of a solution to help along, and much easier than the Middle East. The problem is as you mentioned, how important are Latin American needs to the United States? They obviously take a backseat to Iraq and the other issues that did make up the SOTU. What we need is a conscious effort to work towards. It doesn't need all of the resources, just enough recognition that something can be accomplished if we have the framework.